Directional inclination recorder



Nov. 9, 1937. Y H. B. WEBSTER DIRECTIONAL INCLINATION. RECORDER Filed NOV. 11, 1935 RECORD FOR /NCL//VA 7"/ON OF WELL 5-/v. 302e. Fig. 2

RECORD FOR INCL/NA 770/V OF WELL Ineuior HUG/1' WEBSTER Patented Nov. 9, 1.937

sI PATENT AOFFICE DIRECTIONAL INCLINATION RECORDERV Hugh B.'Webster, Oakland, Calif., assigner to Standard Oil Company ot California, San

Francisco, Calif., a corporation of Delaware "Application November 11, 1935, Serial No. 49,273

5 Claims.

This invention relates to a well. surveying device of the type adapted to be lowered into a bore hole and arranged to give a suitable record oi' the orientation of the hole at a given point, and vpar- 5 ticularly refers to a -means for indicating the direction and degree or' inclination of the said device. In drilling o il Wells or the like, it may happen,

due to variations vin strata through which the drill passes, or to other causes, that the bore l hole will deviate to a considerable extent from the vertical, andassume very decided angles relative to the vertical direction. "As a result oi this deviation, serious errors may enter into the geological interpretations and recommendations concerning l sub-surface structure, water shut-oi, valuations of property, etc. In view of the resultant desirability of determining the location oi any and all parts of a bore hole, various devices have been devised vfor determining the path of the bore hole 2O through the soil.

One of these devices is that show n in the United StatesPatentNo.1,960,038, issued May 22, 1934 to S. H. Willston et al. Briefly, that device constitutes means for obtaining a substantially con- 25 tinuous record of the deviation of a bore hole throughout its length and includes means for automatically photographing simultaneously the position of a gyroscope, the position of a bubble or other level, and a time piece, from which the de- 30 viation of a hole may readily be determined at various points along its length. Other devices of a more simple nature may include only means for making a single photograph or other record of a compasscard or similar direction indicating mechanism, together with a bubble or other level indicating means. i

The objects of this invention include the provision of means for obtaining the greatest accuracy of indication and record of the degree oi inclination of a device of this 'nature andthe b ore hole in which it may be positioned.

Another object is -to provide an improved form 4of level means for a device of this nature and particularly where a photographic record is to be Another `object isto provide a higher degree of accuracy of a level for apparatus of this kind, together with a spreading of the scale or indicator of -a single instrumentwhich will have a range beyond those heretofore employed yand without Aany increase in the diameter of the equipment.

These and other objects and advantages will be more fully apparent from the following descriptionand from lthe accompanying drawing, which forms apart of this speciilcation and illustrates a preferred `embodiment of this invention.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through an inclination recorder to which this'invention has 60 been applied.

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view online II-II of Figure 1, showing a typical record of a small 'degree of inclination taken on this device.

' Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view on line III--III of Figure 1, showing a second record wherethe inclination is at a greater angle tha that which produced Figure 2.

Itis contemplated that this invention will be used with any of the vwell known forms of inclination recorders, which usually include a iluid pressuretight casingfor protecting the mechanism, together with means for safely loweringthe casing and the instrument therein into the well bore or casing, and, after the recording period has elapsed, withdrawing it again for examination. Such are well known in the art, are adequately dcscribed in the United States PatentNo. 1,960,038

' cited above', and need not b e further detailed in this specication. l

Referring to the drawing, and particularly-to Figure l, the reference number Il indicates generally a closed cylindrical casing for the recording l equipment, and, as the device ot this example will include a magnetic compass, the whole structure, as well as the outer casing just mentioned, should b e'of non-magnetic -material. Where a gyrocompass is used, or merely degree oi inclination is to be measured, any suitable material could be employed. Casing III is ydivided by partitions and coupled together by threadedjoints to form a number of chambers for the various parts of the mechanism to be described below.

The upper chamber il is formed by partition I2 and, in this example, contains a conventional clockwork actuated electric contacter generally designated I3, for a purpose which will be' described below.y The second chamber Il is formed by partition I5 and is adapted to contain one or more dry batteries or other electric current source I6. Immediately below partition Ii in casing I0 is asuitable transverse slot I1 adapted to be closed by rotatable ring Il and to hold a circular photographic illm or disc of sensitized photographic paper I8 mounted in ring 20.

At` a suitable distance below partition I5 and i'llm I9 is a partition '2I in which is mounted a camera lens 22 surrounded by and shaded' from a plurality of small electric lamps 23, which latter are connected by a suitable insulated conductor 24 to be in circuit with battery IS and contactor I3. Chamber. 25 is thus between partitions :Il and 2 I. and may be designated a illm chamber.

The bottom o1' casing III is closed by a removable plug 26 in which is a recess 21 fora small airy filled rubber sack 2| to provide for expansion and contraction of the alcohol or other liquid 2| in which the card type magnetic compass mechanism generally designated III, together with the transparent level indicating means generally designated Il, are submerged. In the example shown, compass 3l comprises a suitable bearing Il mounted on pivot 31 and rotatably supporting viouslyif means were provided for` taking suc-l -ceive exposures on a strip of nlm, as in Patent No- 1,960,038, thesubject device would be equally applicable, the difference in the film feed-` ing and electric contacting means having no particular eii'ect on the level or direction indicating 80 means.

Level indicating means li, in this example, consists of apair o f accurately formed transparent members I2 and Il such as watch crystals, arranged to. be mutually concave toward each other 2l and preferably with different radii of curvature. In this case the upper crystal I2 has twice the radius of curvature of the lower crystal. A buoyant. substantially spherical element u such as a hollowaluminum ball or even a bubble of air' 80 or gas is held against the concave lower surface of the upper crystal 82 by theliquid Ila, which is that part of the immersion liquid contained between'crystals I! and I3. `.A heavy element ll, which may be a `ball of phosphor bronze, which 85 willsink in liquid Ila, is retained upon the concave upper surface of crystal it. V

Thus, as the device is inclined from the vertical. the two elements Il and 3l will move in diametrically opposite directions from their nor- 40 mal `position `in the center of the transparent members 82 and Il. `Inasmuch as thelower surface of upper vcrystal I2 has twice the' radius of curvature of the lower crystal face, buoyant element 8l will move twice as far from'the center 4s for a given inclination as will' element 3l. Thus the eifective'angle as well as the direction of the inclination is more readily determined, because of the two indicating elements` involved, and the longer base line due to their movement in oppo- :so` site directions. Preferably the upper crystal 32 is etched or engraved in concentric circles, as shown in Figures 2 and 3 to .indicate the degree of angularity` from the vertical.

For example, if the upper crystal 32 were proportioned so that the buoyant element would reach the rim of the crystal I2 at 'I degrees inclination, and the lower crystal I3 were proportioned so that heavy element 3i would reach the rim of` crystal-Il at im inclination of `14 degrees,

the position of element 3l would give `a very accurate indication of angles up to l degrees, for

example, as shown in Figure 2, and. for greater inclinations, the lower or heavy element I! would be elective to give the photographic record, as for l0 degrees of inclinationwhile element Il would be at the rim of crystal 33, as shown in Figure 3.

If desired, to avoidI annoying reflection from the upper surface of the transparent member I2,

that surfacemay be made concave as shown, to

insure that the reflection of the filaments of lamps Il will not be directed into the camera lensl.

It will be appreciated that the level indicating means Ii Just described would also be applicable to those forms of instruments that do not operate by photographic records, but include a gel, cement, or the like that will `set or congeal after a certain period of time, or after suitable controllable treatment, to hold the light and heavy elements I4 and II in the position determined by the degree of inclination of the device at the time the settingprocess was begun. Under such circumstances the mutually concave members l2 and 'Il obviously need not be transparent but could be of any suitable material, and could be separable so that the position of the elements 84 and Il couldbe observed after the device was removed fromthe well b ore.

In consequence, although a specific embodiment of this invention has been 4described and illustrated, it is-to be understood that modifications and changes could bevmade in it and in its environment without departing from that invention and all such that fall within the scope of the appended claims are embraced thereby.

I claim: l 1 l. An inclination direction indicator comprising means forming a surface concave upwardly. a generally spherical element adapted `to rest on saidsurfa'ce, means forming `a surface concave downwardly, a fluid in contact with said last named surface, a generally spherical element adapted to be supported in said fluid to contact saidlast named surface, one of said concave sur' faces having a longer radius of curvature than the other so that the element in contact 'therewith will be displaced alonger distance'for a given degree of inclination than will the element which is in contact with the other concave surface, and means for indicating the direction of motion of said spherical elements from the center Vof said concave surfaces, so constructed and arranged that the direction of inclination of said indicator may be determined from the position of said elements vwith regard to said last named means. y f Y 2. An inclination indicator comprising means forming a surface concave upwardly, a generally spherical element adapted to rest on said surface, means forming a surface concave downin which one of said means is transparent over its entire eiictive surface so that when said means are superimposed both of said elements will be visible through said transparent means at any degree of inclination of said indicator.

4. An inclination indicator accordingto claim 2 in whichboth of said means are transparent over their` entire effective .surfaces'so that when said means are superimposed light may be transmitted entirely through said indicator. p

5. yAn inclination indicator accordingto claim 2 with a scale of inclination associated with one of said surfaces, said elements being adapted to cooperate to indicate on said scale the degree of vinclination of said indicator.

HUGH n. 

